Street Racing Responses

Sound RIDER! Readers Speak Their Minds

In March of 2000 we ran coinciding features on Street
Racing. In one corner of the ring was a feature about a new
video release from Exit Light video featuring local riders exceeding the
limits of the law on public roads. In the other corner was a
feature disputing the illegal nature of much of the video. We provided
a chance for our readers to comment on what they think of the issue of street
racing and the video, and here's what they came forth with:

Um, I have little problem with street racing. In fact, I
like all kinds of riding. But it should be kept off the more populated roads and
the safety of non-participants should be considered (like the scene of people
passed on the right on the viaduct). As long as racers are willing to own up
when they get popped for traffic violations, go for it.

Personally, I have a brain and am in no hurry to lose it.
:)

Isaac

Yes, Ted, you are a pussy.

Cynthia Collins

I must be an un-cool pussy too, because I agree 100% with
Ted Knecht. That's not motorcycling - that's plain stupidity and like Ted said
'one of the reasons for high insurance rates.'

billh@hotmail.com

After viewing the trailer for this video, I can not
strongly enough express my disgust and dismay at the thought that this promotion
of teenage and 20ish riders' death wish is being sponsored by supposedly responsible
dealers. I have been riding for 29+ years now and have the scars that go with
it. Fortunately for me, in my younger days the motorcycles weren't as fast or as
powerful as today. Also, there wasn't near the volume of traffic on the roads as
there is now. The people who will be influenced by this video are the young and
inexperienced riders. Most of which have neither the skill or experience to
handle the complications of dealing with the drivers and road conditions of the
street, along with the concentration needed for driving at high speed or doing
tricks. The kind of riding shown in this video causes accidents. It may not be
the rider who goes down, but someone will get hurt, maybe a young mom with her
kids. Not to mention the Road Rage this will cause to be directed at all riders.
It is dangerous enough out there as it is, without promoting this kind of
stupidity. Finally, I would like to state to all dealers who wish to participate
in this video, I will push, pull, drag or tow my bike another twenty miles to
get the parts I need rather than buy anything from you. thank you,

P. Mayberg

I checked out the trailer and here's what I have to say:
The video is definitely something I would like to see. It looks like it contains
the fun and excitement of sport bike riding in the Exit Light style -- otherwise
known as "edgy". Obviously there's a big fat element of illegality,
irresponsibility, etc. and this I don't particularly like.

I hate it when it comes insurance paying time, and I don't
particularly like legislators telling me what I can and cannot do (helmet law,
lights on, etc.). These decisions are made via "public opinion" and
this opinion is formed by how we as motorcyclists are perceived by others. Now,
I'm no saint when it comes to riding, but I know this video (and more to the
point the action contained in it) has caused or will cause less repute for our
sport by non motorcyclists. I think some of these riders are incredible (and
some incredibly stupid). But then again, I've screamed around SRI on a GP bike
with the same feeling as night riding/racing around Mercer Island. Call me a
hypocrite...

Will I boycott the thing? Absolutely not -- I'll be
waiting for its release! Do I think it was a bad idea to make? Well, yes and
no... Having permits, legal requirements and all that in place would handle any
objections I have to its production, but in the final analysis I would have
loved to have been in it!

I also have a greater interest in becoming part of an
organized group now...

Anyway, there's my two cents worth. Let me know where I
can get one!!!

Richard

Stupid is as Stupid does. Steet Racing is only confirming
what a good deal of the general public says about motorcycle riders. If the
street is closed off and it is a sanctioned race , GO FOR IT!, other wise, a bad
thing for all motorcycle riders.

JT

Yes, I checked out the article on the sportbike video in
your March issue and even though I get a kick out of the hooligan motorcycle
antics, I do not think this behavior should be promoted or endorsed. This stuff
is best kept below the radar of the media. I have to admit that I've done my
fair share of sport bike activities that weren't/aren't socially acceptable, but
myself & my buddies at the time didn't go telling the world about it fer
chrissakes -- these stories are to be saved for BS'ing & reminiscing in the
local watering holes. Motorcycling's image has never been up there with
motherhood, and this type stuff sure won't help get it anywhere close. I think
this video is all about some people wanting to draw attention to themselves,
with no regard to how much it hurts the public image of the sport/hobby. I guess
this bunch of sportbikers wants to go lower than the Harley dudes with their
loud pipes and jerky streetwise behavior. Anyway, we need to sit down at your
place and watch the Las Vegas Extremes video over a few beers (with the scooter
gang too, if possible). I'm sure the LVE guys can top anything in the NW video
version of motorcycle craziness...

Kevin M

You think this video is bad ...well, bad meaning good and also
bad meaning bad for newbies to be watching go to www.lasvegasextremes.com and
check out THEIR VIDEO , puts the boys in seattle to SHAME I think ! I have the
whole thing and it is AWESOME ! As for my opinion, I agree its illegal to do
this but, if you don't get caught it's cool as hell... I don't know about you,
but I
like to do a little wheelie now and again down a side street, not fast just a
little one !

Rich

1. Asinine beyond belief.

2. Possibly criminal depending on outcome.

3. Did I mention Stupid?

4. "Most" participants are at least marginally
dressed for the role in their one piece suits from their friendly scooter shop
along with their Arai multicolor style statement on their head.

Warren J

I was in the video and agree with your comments whole
heartily. BUT, it is a cool video. It would have been PC to have had legal
permission, but I doubt it would have been granted without a year's worth of
insurance and other political fee wrangling, especially with all the laws you
say were broken. The only way for Americans to do anything on their on
cognizance is to do it illegally I'm afraid. If you have seen the Las Vegas
Extreme video, you'll see they paid the price in more ways than one for their
actions, as did the Open Throttle guys. My club mates and I who watch these
videos, all comment on how cool the actions are and at the same time say how
stupid they are in the same breath(of course if the stunt doesn't go off). It is
refreshing to see others let it out when opportunity knocks as I know you have
also. It's in the blood of the biker, pilot, etc., whatever that person finds is
safe and exhilarating in their own mind at the time.

Arbandit

Go fast on the track. I did the Pridmore class at SIR last
summer on my Hayabusa and it was a total positive experience. No police, no
speed limits, no cars or pedestrians, and good pavement. Also ambulances on
location. The potential for death, tickets, and general disaster is great on the
street. It's not worth it. I look forward to getting back on the track at the
Pridmore class again. Until then I'll enjoy my Busa in a low key manner on the
streets!

D Flowers

I agree with the opening statement to column...."one
hundred fifty miles an hour....this must be nuts". Anyone riding like that
on a open road or highway is not just nuts, they are a potential killer and
certainly a cause for all the non-motorcycle public to once again paint us all
with a broad brush. Do you wonder why the government officials along with the
Insurance Institute salivate when talking about m/cs? It's because of jerks like
this. Our insurance rates go up. Or we are required to carry extra medical
insurance like some states are enforcing. Or we must be watched, penalized and
type cast just because a few jerks want a testosterone rush. Thanks guys. You
should publish a list of the dealers who support and encourage this type of
activity so we know where NOT to go. Ride Safe.......live to ride again.

Vince

Well, well, well. It looks like somebody finally did it.
At last, a video that actually shows the insane things we sometimes do on our
bikes but rarely talk about to non-riders. This video looks like it will capture
in vivid detail the hidden sub-culture within sport-riding that we, as
hooligans, never really wanted the general public to know about.

I must admit that I have mixed feelings about this video's
release. It's not necessarily something I'm ashamed of, I just fear what its
consequences may be. I liken it to the release of a military school hazing video
that sends it's unprepared viewers into a state of stammered shock. I also think
that the release of this video could also be drawn parallel to, say, the Masonic
Temple releasing a book that tells all the details of it's secret society. Who
knows what eyebrows may be raised by the release of this video. I am reminded of
a quote from a movie I recently saw. It went something like, "The first
rule of Fight Club is that we don't TALK about Fight Club." I think this
also applies to sportbike hooliganism.

On the other hand, however, I must give Exit Light
Productions a big, fat thumbs-up for having the balls to do something like this.
I think these guys are showing great vision and originality with this video.

"Atomic" Tim Kreitz Crazy
Bastards Sportbike Club

Ride-On! IMO Ride Like You Stole It!!

Lee Heffernan

In the past the Harley Davidson was associated with the
Outlaw Biker, the so called 1% ers. The new reality is that the sport bikers are
really the 1%ers. As an avid motorcyclist who wants to bring the joy of the
sport to as many people as possible and promote a positive image to the non
riding public I hold these macho stunts in contempt... I divide the world into two
kinds of people - people who love riding and people who think we should not. We
all need to stick together if we are going to protect our right to ride from the
narrow minded folks who don't think we should.

Ben Staib

Street racing is going to give us "Sport Bike"
riders a bad rep. Maybe these guys ought to load up there little mini van with
all there gear, and try to pull off that shit down here in Dallas Tx. We have
been making the news on this whole "street racing" thing. The cops
down here will through your ass in jail, and impound your ride. By the time you
get out of Lew's, get your bike back, you have just spent about 700.00. But
that's not all you get! There is more! Just wait until your court date arrives.
That's when the shit really hits the fan! You see, its next to impossible to
have the citation appealed, because its almost certain that the arresting
officer will show for the court date. Street racing is not a wise thing, not in
Dallas anyways. Best to go Club racing. It's cheaper, safer, and you even get to
keep your TX D.L.!

ZX9RT1@hotmail.com

Watching the trailer reminds me of high school and the kid
with the hot rod Camaro doing smoky burnouts in the parking lot. I wasn't
impressed then, I'm not impressed now.

It also reminds me of the kid with the Camaro who killed
himself and three of his friends by driving way over his skill level while
trying to impress his girl friend. He made an impression on everybody all right.

There will always be a crowd of these geniuses around. If
a few of them make the Darwin Awards then the rest of us are better off, as long
as they don't take any innocent bystanders with them.

Riding fast is great fun, don't get me wrong. But for the
sake of all of us, do it on the track or if you must do it on public roads at
least have a little respect for the other people who use the roads and highways.
Be discreet, be careful, and for gad's sake, don't openly advertise and offer
proof of your previously merely alleged infractions.

Blatent law-breaking and reckless behavior like that is
what gives the Mothers-Against-Fun organizations the fuel to lobby for more of
the laws that take our personal freedoms away from us one by one.

I won't be a bit surprised if this video is used as an
excuse to try imposing some new legislature restricting horsepower, limiting
displacement, making performance or other modifications illegal, or maybe (and
this may not be a bad thing) graduated displacement for younger riders. Do you
want to be restricted to 125cc untill you're 18 or 250cc untill you're 21?

This kind of limitations are already the norm in many
other countries, why encourage them here? Freedoms abused soon become freedoms
revoked.

FF

This letter does not condemn or condone street racing. It
is only my opinion. In the past I have raced many times on a very famous or
infamous section of road in southern california. Perhaps you've heard of it. Hwy
74 from Capistrano to Lake Elsinore. Also known as Ortega hwy. Those days were a
lot of fun. We didn't have the dollars or the sense to go to Willow Springs and
race so we did the next best thing......we raced on the street. We weren't your
average squids, we had a little bit of sense. We used to go up early in the
morning during the middle of the week, when there weren't all the lookeyloo
weekend drivers up there. Sure we had our share of accidents, mishaps and close
calls complete with broken bones, speeding tickets and appearances in front of
the judge,but that would only serve to slow us down (very) temporarily. Then one
day IT happened to us. One of my buddies was actually killed on Ortega hwy. That
put this street racing fun into proper perspective. Rarely did we ever go up the
hwy again, except to remember our fallen friend. One of my group went on to be a
class champion at Willow Springs for several years. Another is now the crew
chief for the Factory Yamaha roadracing team. I am not for or against street
racing, but I think it is a part of growing up, some thing to be learned from.
Keep the rubber side down.

Paul in NORCAL

Yes we all knew Open Throttle was a squid club. However, I
believe this issue is covered under the First Amendment....

Mark McMellin

Somebody please give ted knecht a nice cozy tatalitarian
regime to live under so that he can feel safe.

WVS

Sound Rider! offered Exit Light Productions the
opportunity to write an article promoting our video Open Throttle. No warning
was given that the article would be placed in the context of a debate,
accompanied by a "rebuttle" [sic]. In their editorial, written by Ted
Knecht, Sound Rider! offered their readers what they call a "reality
check". It's a reality check based on anything but reality. Here are 10
reasons why:

1. In the real world, high performance sport motorcycles
are marketed toward and purchased primarily by people who fully intend to
exploit the awesome power offered by these machines. This generally means
operating them at high speeds around other motorists and on public roadways. Any
rider claiming that this is something they haven't done nor intend to do is
saying the motorcycle equivalent of "I never inhaled".

2. You will never see an extreme sport video of any genre
that depicts people doing "safe" things. Warren Miller of extreme snow
skiing fame didn't become world renowned by making movies of people doing the
snowplow down a bunny slope.

3. Many scenes from Open Throttle depict sport riders
engaging in exhibition riding, which is often illegal. Does anyone in the real
world really need to be informed of this? Do people need to be informed that
jaywalking is illegal too?

4. While most motorcycle riders (of all types) agree that
wearing a helmet while riding is the smart thing to do, a large majority oppose
the fact that the right to ride without one has been taken away from them. If
you believe that riding without one is stupid, great! We agree with you, but we
would never impose an authoritarian judgment on the issue the way Ted Knecht
has. This is a classic example of the prevalent attitude of non-riders who would
have every bike limited to 20 horsepower or banned entirely.

5. Among their redundant criticisms, Ted Knecht mentions
that "all of this and more is featured in the upcoming video." In
fact, that "more" includes segments involving the truly talented men
and women of WRMMA who race at the fabulous Seattle International Raceway. Sound
Rider! plugs the WRMMA videos a number of times in their editorial as an example
of what is "responsible" video making, yet no mention is made that
WRMMA is represented in Open Throttle. We believe that it is high time these
courageous racers are featured in a professional vehicle that is guaranteed to
put them in the international spotlight where they deserve to be.

6. Anyone ever encountering the laws of our friend Mr.
Murphy while performing even the simplest of tasks knows that risk is a part of
life. This is why any rational person realizes that our shooting of Open
Throttle under controlled circumstances does not imply total safety. Every
attempt to limit the danger to our riders and others was made during the making
of Open Throttle. This does not mean that our riders did not perform dangerous
actions. Let's face it, riding a motorcycle at all is dangerous. We all take the
risk and we all have to face its consequences.

7. Sport bikes have higher insurance rates than other
motorcycles. Porsches have higher insurance rates than minivans. No reasonable
person has any expectation that this relationship will ever change. It almost
seems that Sound Rider! would have sport bikes banned completely. Of course, if
that were to ever happen, your personal choice of ride would be next.

8. Ted Knecht suggests that "smoky burn-outs" on
city property destroys something other than the tires of the bikes themselves,
and then suggests that purchasing a permit somehow eliminates the
"destruction." In fact, permits are portrayed positively throughout
their editorial. Yet in Sound Rider's article Clinton Land Grab (Jan. 2000),
they outwardly oppose government restrictions of motorcycle sports. Clearly,
Sound Rider! is confused in regards to their stance on whether the powers that
be have a right to destroy our ability to enjoy our lives and our sports as we
see fit.

9. Noting that passing on the right may be grounds for a
"road rage" penalty simply illustrates just how absurd road rage laws
really are. While passing on the right may be punishable as a minor traffic
offense, an officer charging someone with road rage penalties for such an act is
truly misusing his authority and the law, and is a compelling reason for the
dismissal of the officer. It's amazing that a motorcycle rider would condone
this sort of arbitrary and authoritarian interpretation of the law.

10. Even the most idiotic squid knows that if they wipe
out while wearing only shorts and a tank top, they are going to need more than
"band aids." As our disclaimer mentions in the teaser and again
numerous times in the full-length video - which Ted Knecht has not even seen -
imitating the riding depicted in Open Throttle may result in loss of property,
injury or death. It also says, "Don't be an idiot." Intelligent people
everywhere know that only an idiot needs this kind of warning. Unfortunately, in
this litigious world, it's readily apparent that we are surrounded by idiots.

Finally, while we at Exit Light Productions have produced
a video that is mostly directed toward the sport rider market, we also see the
bigger picture: a tight-knit riding community comprised of all types of motor
sports enthusiasts, covering a wide range of demographics and lifestyles in Puget Sound area. We, the riders and participants in that community, think of
each other as family. That is why it is especially painful and disheartening
when one of our own brothers severs that family tie. Disagreement and debate
combined with mutual respect and support makes a family strong. Deception hurts
everyone. Ted Knecht's editorial drives a wedge between the brothers and sisters
of the thriving Seattle riding community and leaves us vulnerable to those
outsiders who wish to diminish and take away our sport altogether. We're all
riders together. Let's watch each others' backs instead of stabbing them.

Nick Rossi

Editors note: Sound Rider was
hesitant about running a feature on the Exit Light Video, but felt it would be
of interest to some riders here. Feeling a responsibility toward safety we
couldn't run the feature without a different perspective taking a look at the
unsafe practices in the video.

As is always the case in publishing no one
ever knows or can anticipate what the final issue will look like until it is
published. The editors and publisher determine the content without any
outside influence and often it's on the fly (seen the 11 oclock news or
Seatle Times?).

We're pleased at the amount a reader
response we got from these articles and look forward to presenting more issues
in the future. Thanks for reading.

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